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Portugal 1914-1926: From the First World War to Military Dictatorship. By Filipe Ribeiro de Meneses. Bristol, U.K.: Hispanic, Portuguese, and Latin American Monographs, University of Bristol, 2004. ISBN 0-86292-555-X. Maps. Photographs. Notes. Bibliography. Pp. xx, 284. £35.00.
Filipe Ribeiro de Meneses takes an original look at why Portugal, neither a rich nor a well-developed country and one governed in complete political and financial chaos at the time, undertook three different and widely separated campaigns in the First World War. In each of the three cases the troops were poorly trained and equipped, ill-supported in their continuing fights, and a burden to any nearby Allies that might be trying to defeat the Germans. These flaws universally resulted in ineffectual performance and a high rate of casualties both from disease and combat. While there were many incidents of individual and unit heroism, the overall result was dismal, and the national goals of the enterprise were never realized. As a result Portugal was never taken seriously by its European neighbors and suffered accordingly. The volume is strongly recommended for students of Portuguese politics during the period of transition from the monarchy to the Salazar regime and the political rationale for the martial undertakings during this period. It is a well crafted work that draws on extensive primary sources and secondary research, and is lucidly written despite its labyrinthine topic.
The purpose of the book is to explain how the Portuguese entry...